Can’t Find the Right Home? Adjust Your Search for Better Results

You’ve been searching and searching and searching, yet you still haven’t found the perfect home.

One has the right layout, but is too far from work. Another is in the right location, but doesn’t have the rooms you need. Some are within your price range, but need significant remodeling.

You just can’t find that “perfect” home, and it’s starting to drive you crazy!

What should you do?

By adjusting your search process, you can find the right home for your needs. Best of all, you don’t have to sacrifice all your needs, and you don’t have to significantly expand your budget.

You simply need to rethink your priorities…

What to Do if You Haven’t Found the Right Home

Remember, There’s Really No Such Thing as a “Perfect” House

The first thing to remember is that there really is no such thing as the “perfect” house. Yes, there are good houses and bad houses, small houses and large houses, luxury houses and moderate houses, but perfection is impossible. This is really just a reminder that you won’t find the perfect home, so stop looking for it. Keep this mentality in mind the next time you shop for homes and you’ll be more likely to find the right house for your family, even if it doesn’t have everything you want.

Stay Focused on Your Primary Goals

We just spent the previous paragraph telling you to adjust your expectations, but we also want to remind you that you shouldn’t go overboard and give up everything that you desire in a home. You still need to find the right home, which means you should seriously consider the features or characteristics you absolutely must have in a home. For example, if you have a large family, you probably need four or five bedrooms and two or three bathrooms; this is something you really can’t compromise. If you have a dog, you probably need a decent backyard; again, you can’t do without this feature. Identify the things that you must have, but try to keep it to three or four points – any more and you’re back in the same rut you were before.

Find Areas of Compromise in the Home

We talked about the things you must have, but what about the things you want to have. Perhaps these non-essential factors were holding up your home purchase the entire time. You really need to separate your needs from your wants. For example, you probably need a two-car garage, but you only want a nice kitchen. If you could purchase a home with all the other factors, but only a decent kitchen (not an amazing kitchen), you should be open to the purchase. Know what you can compromise and you’ll be more likely to find a home that makes you happy, even if it isn’t “perfect.”

Search for Smaller and Older Homes

To expand your search and increase the chances of finding a good house, start considering homes that are smaller or older than you originally desired. Smaller homes come with lower price tags (generally), and you might be surprised at how comfortable and spacious can be. Some people hesitate to purchase an older home, but you can get a great deal on a top-quality property when you search for homes that are older. Just be sure to have them properly inspected by qualified professionals, which goes for newer homes as well.

Expand Your Distances

How far is too far? If you added another ten or twenty minutes to your commute, could you find the right home for your family? Commuting is never fun, but if you can add a small amount of time to your daily driving, you can likely find a home that is within your budget and meets your needs for space, features, and lot size. There are many fantastic communities just outside of major metro areas, and if you love where you live (and can afford it) you may be much happier in the long run.

Be Careful About Expanding Your Budget

When people have been searching for a home for months but haven’t found the right one, they often expand their budget, thinking a more expensive house is the answer. This can be done, but it needs to be done carefully; besides, it’s rare that budget is the true hang-up on finding a home, and the budget you set previously is one that likely fits best with your regular income and expenses. If you expand your budget, you may find yourself with a home that you can barely afford, which means you may have a great home, but you may not be happy, and the added expenses could cause stress in your life. It may not be worth it, so if you are adjusting your budget, do so with caution.

Adjust How You Look at Houses

Sometimes people get caught up on the wrong things when looking at a house. People often focus on minor things that can be easily (and affordably) changed and let these easily-fixable issues keep them from purchasing a house. For example, you might visit a home that has the ugliest carpeting you’ve ever seen; you can’t imagine living in a home with that color of flooring, so you move on. But carpet can be replaced! The same goes for paint, countertops, minor landscaping, and even cabinetry. Try to imagine the home with the amenities, decor, and woodwork you like and you’ll be able to look past easily-replaceable features.

Stay Patient!

Finally, we would remind you to be patient. Finding the right home takes time, and you are going to make a purchase that is likely the biggest expense you’ll ever have. In many ways, it’s good that you’re taking your time and not jumping on the first home that comes available. Stay patient, and remember that it’s better to pass on a home than to purchase something that you don’t love or to overextend your budget. Stay motivated, and you will find the right home for you and your family!

Helping You Find the Right Mortgage on a Wonderful Home

Need help finding a more affordable or reasonable mortgage? Let the experts at San Diego Purchase Loans help you get the right loan to fit your budget, allowing you to finally purchase the home you’ve been searching for!

Testimonials

A very responsible and experienced professional with his highly effective team

I really enjoyed working with Chad Baker and the rest of the team. This was our first time buying a home in California and we started with unnecessary assumptions based on our previous experience as home-owners in a different state. Chad and his team were available throughout the whole process, explaining the state differences, answering all our phone calls and emails quickly and directly, and providing detailed weekly status reports so that all parties including agents knew exactly where we were in the process. Chad was very experienced and provided customized loan products for us to consider, which definitely facilitated our transaction. I recommend the Chad Baker team! ”

“Hey Chad, Just wanted to send a quick note to Thank You for all your work and effort to get this escrow closed. It was a pleasure to work with someone as professional as yourself. If I have a client that ever needs a lender you will definitely be someone that I would recommend.”

“Hey Chad – thank you so much to you in particular as well as your team. It’s been a real pleasure working with someone who’s as responsive and helpful throughout the process, as you’ve been. We really appreciate what you’ve done. ”

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Chad Baker is Regional Manager for LendUS. Chad is consistently recognized in the top 1% of mortgage originators in the United States 2011-2017.
Got a question for Chad? Call (858) 353-8331 or submit your question online